This time of year Chimney Swifts migrate in flocks. These little swallows can’t perch so they cling on vertical surfaces like tree cavities, caves and chimneys.
Chimney swifts are in decline because chimneys aren’t used much anymore so people are capping the ones that still exist, and new chimneys aren’t being added to new building construction.
Near our neighborhood there’s still a large chimney at an old school. In September each year, Chimney Swifts put on a show for birders and the neighborhood.
Toward sunset, they circle around and around in the sky above the school until one by one they drop into the chimney to roost.
I saw this magical scene for the first time in 2018, but I’d forgotten about it since then.
My husband and I were on the way back from an evening appointment last week when we saw people sitting in chairs in the field outside of that school. We parked and quickly walked to the middle of the field just as the swifts were starting to gather in the sky and swirl round and round.
I later saw a bird count that suggested more than 2000 birds circled above us and dropped into the chimney that evening!
When the last bird dropped inside, the crowd of about 100 people clapped and cheered.